Maat calls for an immediate cease-fire on the Gaza Strip, and recommends the international community to intervene and hold an urgent session to address the dire situation in Palestine

Okeil: The Israeli occupation authority continues to deliberately violate the principles of international law and the historical context of the occupied Palestinian territories

Maat for Peace, Development and Human Rights harshly condemns the flagrant violations and merciless attacks carried out by the Israeli occupation authority over the past few days against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. During the past few hours, the Israeli military's airstrikes destroyed two buildings in Gaza City and targeted several sites in different areas of the Strip. Since the beginning of the Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza strip, the death toll has risen to 32, including 6 children, while 265 people have sustained various injuries.

By targeting homes and civilian objects in Gaza, Maat affirms that the Israeli authorities continue to violate all international laws and norms as well as the principles and provisions of international humanitarian law, specifically Art. 51, para. (2) of the First AP to the Four Geneva Conventions and Art. 13, para. (2) of the second AP which states that: “The civilian population shall not be the object of attack,” as well as “Acts or threats of violence the primary purpose of which is to spread terror among the civilian population are prohibited.” Besides, Article 52 of the General Protection of Civilian Objects provides: “Civilian objects shall not be the object of attack.” In light of the above, Maat calls for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip so that the humanitarian situation does not worsen there, and recommends the international community to promptly intervene, assume its responsibilities toward the situation in Palestine and put an end the Israeli violations against the Palestinians.

In this context, Ayman Okeil, the international human rights expert and president of Maat, expressed his deep concern about the escalating situation in Gaza and the ongoing violations against the Palestinians, noting that the occupying power continues unabashedly and deliberately to violate the laws and principles of international humanitarian law and the historical context in the occupied Palestinian territories. Okeil further stressed the need to protect civilians and children from all military attacks, since the protection of civilians is a well-established customary rule in international humanitarian law. Finally, Okeil called on the United Nations to conduct an international investigation and to put pressure on Israel to end all attacks against civilians in Palestine.